Robot Arm working for a living
Document created: 12th November 2002Last Modified:
Thursday, 21-Jun-2012 14:04:08 BST

The robot at today's presentation for Nesta,
is a previous recipient of Nesta money, demonstrating that even robots can earn
a living. The Shadow Robot Company's Hand Arm - when not working at award ceremonies
- is designed to give elderly and disabled people literally a helping hand about
the house.

The Shadow Robot
Arm with Jem and Lord Puttnam.

We were created
to give UK innovators a fighting chance, investing at the highest point
of risk and offering very special individuals the time, space, money and
support to push at their own frontiers."

Lord Puttnam - NESTA Chair

A £75,000 grant from Nesta
is helping to pay for a full prototype of the artificial hand and arm on a mobile
base which can be taught to navigate its way around a person's home. It will
be able to fetch a glass of water, or pass a tissue or towel, to someone unable
to reach for one themselves. Fitted with a vision system and Open Source software,
over time it will be able to learn more complicated tasks, such as basic cooking
and cleaning, restoring privacy and dignity to thousands who dislike relying
on home helps.

(NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE)
The Shadow Robot Company aims to have a full working prototype within about
three years. Two million people in the United Kingdom are currently receiving
Disability Living Allowance and more than 1.25 million get Attendance Allowance,
which alone cannot cover for the full requirements of an elderly or disabled
person living at home. Inventor Richard Greenhill, managing director of Shadow,
said "Our robot will hopefully give disabled people more independence and
dignity. Fetching a much-needed glass of water in the middle of the night is
annoying at the best of times, but can be a real problem for someone with a
disability. The robot will help with the little things that the majority of
people take for granted." Shadow was founded in 1987 by a group of enthusiasts
and inventors who shared a vision of producing useful, multi-functional humanoid
robots that can carry out a wide variety of programmable tasks.

The development Shadow's Hand Arm is breaking new ground. The Hand Arm can mimic
all 24 human hand movements. To put this in context, the equivalent NASA hand,
when last reported, could mimic only 12 similar movements.

Not only does the Shadow robot hand resemble a human's, it is also powered by
a series of air-powered muscles built into the robot's fore and upper arm that
in their own way also closely resemble the functionality and form of human muscles.

This is no coincidence as the company's vision is that of robots that interact
with humans within their own environment, in a way that complements the human
form.

Jeremy Newton, Nesta's Chief Executive, said when awarding Shadow's grant: "Our
economy will become more and more dependent upon our creativity and our ability
as a nation to harness new technology to stimulate new ideas. Shadow is meeting
this challenge head-on and Nesta is delighted to be a part of this important
innovation. The robot has real commercial potential for the assistive aids markets
as well as offering substantial social benefits by empowering both the disabled
community and an increasing aging population."